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Dumbledore's Words

Hey,
This question is might be hard to answer because I'm not sure if it is cannon or fannon, or even which book it came from if it is cannon. So please if I'm crazy and you have no idea what I'm talking about, please tell me.

Okay. Remember in DH where Wormtail's silver hand strangles him because as Harry said 'You owe me, Wormtail.' ? That was because of a Wizard's bond right? Because Harry spared Wormtail's life in one of the books, Wormtail owed him. I seem to remember Dumbledore explaining this to Harry in one of the books.

I know the exerpt is in one of the books. It is in either PoA, GOF, OOTP, HBP, or DH. Ha. You guys probably want to strangle me. But I really don't know. I've been flipping through the books all day and can't find it. Yet. I'm only on GOF.

Seventh Year
GryffindorBeing Chased by Singing Dwarves with Valentines

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"You did a very noble thing, in saving Pettigrew's life."

"But if he helps Voldemort back to power-!"

"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt. When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them...and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter."

Actually, you may find that the purpose behind the hand goes both ways. Nothing has to have a defite 'this has to mean this' in anything; that hardly happens in lirature. It can be interpreted as the reader sees it. The passage here is correct. I don't wan't to start anything, I just though I'd point out that Peter Pettigrew isn't this black/white case.

Hmmm...I agree with Tim the Enchanter on this one. The passage is correct, of course, but the interpretation put forward by Tim seems credible. The hand, in my view, works in favour of Peter as Peter works in favour of Voldemort, who knows he can be a turncoat. It's possible the hand always had an in-built death trap. That's how I read it, that Peter felt a single moment of compassion, and died because of it.

DH, Pg. 381

...Pettigrew was reaping his reward for his hesitation, his moment of pity...

This is what the book says, anyway.

I'm curious about your argument, and would like to know how else this can be interpreted.

Okay. Remember in DH where Wormtail's silver hand strangles him because as Harry said 'You owe me, Wormtail.' ? That was because of a Wizard's bond right? Because Harry spared Wormtail's life in one of the books, Wormtail owed him. I seem to remember Dumbledore explaining this to Harry in one of the books.

Peter's silver hand didn't strangle himself because Peter owed Harry. What happened was Peter was about to choke Harry (or otherwise harm him), but when Harry said that Peter owed him, Peter let Harry go. The hand, being Voldemort's creation, strangled Peter in retaliation for this act of compassion.

Originally posted by Kuri:
I don't know if I should start another post, so I'm answering Natalie and whoever else here. Couldn't Peter have felt guilty, and so 'reaped his reward' by both being bound by the fact that he owed Harry a debt and the fact that he was tied to serve Voldemort? No, Peter didn't strangle himself, but it's more of a hesitation. At least, I've always read it that way; I see it both ways. This may ot may not help, and it probably doesn't, so feel free to ignore it.

Peter didn't strangle himself, the hand did; it was murder, not death by accident or suicide. I should have made my point clearer in my earlier post. Peter hesitated to harm Harry because Harry reminded him that he had saved his life, and for that reason, he was punished.

Peter's silver hand didn't strangle himself because Peter owed Harry. What happened was Peter was about to choke Harry (or otherwise harm him), but when Harry said that Peter owed him, Peter let Harry go. The hand, being Voldemort's creation, strangled Peter in retaliation for this act of compassion.

Actually, you may find that the purpose behind the hand goes both ways. Nothing has to have a definite 'this has to mean this' in anything; that hardly happens in literature. It can be interpreted as the reader sees it. The passage here is correct. I don't wan't to start anything, I just though I'd point out that Peter Pettigrew isn't this black/white case.

Edit: I don't know if I should start another post, so I'm answering Natalie and whoever else here. Couldn't Peter have felt guilty, and so 'reaped his reward' by both being bound by the fact that he owed Harry a debt and the fact that he was tied to serve Voldemort? No, Peter didn't strangle himself, but it's more of a hesitation. At least, I've always read it that way; I see it both ways. This may ot may not help, and it probably doesn't, so feel free to ignore it.

Wow. This seems to have sparked quite the conversation. Thank you Maple for the exerpt! I can't believe I didn't see it. Okay, so on Pettigrew. I think that he let Harry go because of the bond. Or at the very least, he hesitated, and Harry got himself free. But I also believe that he was murdered because he let go the Chosen One. The one guy that Voldemort has been after for what- seventeen years now?

I also have a question. Again. Do you think that somewhere, deep down, Peter was upset about what he done? Or do you think he is just more worried about protecting himself?

Personally, yes, I do think Peter felt some sort of remorse for what he'd done, and I don't actually think you'd have to delve too deep to find it; it's obvious that he doesn't like working for Voldemort. However, I think his need to protect himself far outweighs any remorse he feels; he wants to survive at any cost, and he'd never have the courage to tell Voldemort where to go. I also think that if things would have gone well for Peter, as in he was treated better by the Death Eaters and Voldemort and didn't have to do such horrible tasks, then I think that remorse would be a lot deeper down. He'd probably feel a little bit of regret that he'd betrayed his friends, but his comfortable position would mean that he didn't regret it too much. It's only because he's miserable that he's so full of remorse.